COMMUNITY FORUM

Wood problem after paint job

Last summer, our condo was painted. The cedar wood, while about 20 years old, was in fairly good shape. Old, rotting boards were removed and replaced with top-notch cedar. A few weeks after the paint job, we noticed what looked like streaking on the paint. After a couple of months, the paint started peeling away in many areas. In other areas, it looks like the wood itself is flaking under the paint. The painter claims it was because the wood was not maintained since the last paint job 5 years prior. First, how can I go about determining whether the wood was properly treated by this painter before applying the paint? Second, what kind of contractor would I need to hire to determine how many coats of paint were actually applied? This is in dispute as well.Thanks for your help.

DearJ,I spoke with the fella who does my exterior painting and his reply to your problem is thus. Cedar is an aromatic wood. It contains resins that will bleed through paint if not primered properly. The "painter" that did your job is an amatuer. Request that he redo the job or give you a refund. The contractors blaming of the "last guy" is simply a way to shift the blame for a lack of knowledge. There are a number of primers made especially for cedar siding. The best way to paint cedar is to let it weather for a couple of years and let the elements bleed out the resins.Len